A switch is a network device for forwarding network data packets. The switch may provide an exclusive forwarding channel between any two network nodes accessing the switch. A core switch generally employs a frame architecture.
A frame switch is an integrated expandable switching system. Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic structural view of a frame switch 100 is given. The frame switch 100 includes a frame 110, a backplane 120, a network board 130, a switching network chip 132, a line card 140, a forwarding chip 142, and a controller 150.
One side wall of the frame 110 is provided with the backplane 120, wherein the backplane 120 is provided with a plurality of parallel slots. M network boards 130 are inserted into the slots on the backplane 120, wherein each network board 130 is provided with a switching network chip 132. N line cards 140 are inserted into the slots on the backplane 120, wherein each line card 140 is provided with a forwarding chip 142. The port of each switching network chip 132 is separately electrically connected to the ports of the N forwarding chips 142 via buses, and the port of each forwarding chip 142 is separately electrically connected to the ports of the M switching network chips 132 via buses. In addition, each forwarding chip 142 is further connected to the network port for connecting to a network node on the line card 140. The controller 150 is configured to control working of the switching network chip 132 and the forwarding chip 142. When network node A and network node B (not illustrated in the drawing) needs to communicate with each other, under control by the controller 150, a data packet is forwarded along a path of: network node A→forwarding chip A connected to network node A→switching network chip→forwarding chip B connected to network node B→network node B.
During the process of the present disclosure, the inventor finds that the prior art has the following problem:
Using a case where one switching network chip is maximally connected to X forwarding chips, and one forwarding chip is maximally connected to Y switching network chips as an example, the maximum connection mode is that each two of Y switching network chips and X forwarding chips are connected, and each switching network chip and each forwarding chip are connected to each other via a bus. Being subject to the number of slots on the frame switch and the structure and volume thereof, the frame switch fails to achieve a maximum connection scale.